Trade Candidates: Catchers

The market for catchers has been silent this year, as many contenders are set behind the plate. It’s partially a coincidence, but still noteworthy that so many of baseball’s best teams have catchers performing well. Here are a few backstops who could be available this month:

Ramon Hernandez – Likely expendable because of Ryan Hanigan's emergence, Hernandez has hit .252/.333/.368 with five homers and more walks than strikeouts this year. He doesn't come cheap though, as he makes $8MM.

Yorvit Torrealba - The Rockies have Chris Iannetta, so Torrealba and his career OPS of .700 are expendable. He'll earn $3.5MM this year and there's a mutual option for 2010 on his contract.

Ivan Rodriguez – The Astros aren't selling now, but Rodriguez, who was dealt at last year's deadline, could become trade bait if Houston falls out of it. He makes from $1.5-3MM this year, depending on incentives.

Javier Valentin – This free agent hit relatively well with the Reds as recently as last year.